Like Father, Like Daughter
by p y r otechnic - - ROYAL
Summary: Oneshot songfics based off of the relationship between Yamanaka Ino and her father, Inoichi. First one: "You Can Let Go" by Crystal Shawanda.


**Disclaimer: The day I own Naruto of the song "You Can Let Go" is the day the world implodes.**

"**You Can Let Go".**

The sky was crowded with clouds grey with the treat of rain as the group of villagers — shinobi and civilian alike — made their way to the cemetery to honor their fallen comrade Yamanaka Inoichi. At the head of the procession, flanked by the Nara and Akimichi families, was Inoichi's only daughter, the pride of his life, Ino. Dressed in a modest black dress, her pale blonde hair stood out even more than usual without more of her milky skin visible to even out the contrast. Every now and then Shikamaru or Choji would murmur something to try and encourage her, and the normally loud and bossy kunoichi would simply nod and continue walking.

Once they had arrived at the gravesite, right next to where Ino's mother had been buried years earlier, the group stood around the hole in the ground and prepared to share memories of the popular man. As Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto got to go first, something that irritated the woman. He only knew her father through her, and barely at that. Luckily, Naruto only spoke for a few minutes, then Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's dad and one of Inoichi's best friends, went next.

Ino gazed down at her feet, not really in the mood to hear about her dad's childhood escapades again. A memory of her own flooded her mind instead, of the time she was five and learning how to ride a bike. He had been holding onto the seat as she managed to get the hang of it, and didn't seem to want to let go. _"You can let go now Daddy!" the little girl hollered, turning onto the street. "I think I'm ready to try this myself! I'll be fine!" She was still a little scared, but determined to do it herself. "You can let go!"_

A tear fell from her blue eyes, and someone wrapped an arm around her, bringing her back from her memory. Looking up to see who it was, Ino met the gaze of her husband, Yorihisa. **(A/N: Random unnamed character.)** His eyes were filled with sympathy and love for her and she took strength from them. Resting her head on his chest, she listened to Akimichi Chouza and remembered how her father was hesitant to give her away at her wedding. _"Who gives this woman?" the preacher asked, and all eyes were on Inoichi. Instead of saying anything, though, he continued to hold onto Ino's arm tightly. The 20-year-old could see the fear in his eyes, and smiled encouragingly. "You can let go now Daddy," she whispered. "I'm ready for this, to do this on my own. I'll be okay now daddy, you can let go."_

It was her turn to speak, and for once in her life, Ino didn't know what to say. All she could think about was the scene at the hospital a few weeks ago. _The blonde's blue eyes were wide with shock and fear at the sight of the man she had thought was invincible wasting away before her. "He's only holding on for you Ino," the head nurse and her best friend Sakura told the shaken Jonin. With a dazed nod, Ino gulped and made her way to her father's side, wishing that she were still a child that could curl up next to him and hide away from the horrors of reality._

"Ino-chan?" Chouza asked, breaking her away from her reverie. "We can come back to you if you need more time." She shook her head and took a deep breath before repeating what she told Inoichi that last night, her voice and heart breaking all over again.

"You can let go now Daddy, you can let go. Your little girl is ready to do this on my own. It's still a little bit scary, but I want you to know, I'll be okay now Daddy. You can let go."

Ok, I heard that song, and automatically thought that it would be beautiful in a songfic about Ino and her dad. The song is called "You Can Let Go" and it's by Crystal Shawanda. Go listen to it now, and tell me you did not cry. I do every time. Even as I wrote this, tears started welling up.

**And yes, I did not pair Ino up with Shikamaru. Even though I am a fan of ShikaIno, I thought I'd just leave it open-ended, since this is focusing on the relationship between Ino and Inoichi. If you want, go ahead and replace Yorihisa with Shikamaru, or imagine that Temari is with Shika. I'm not stopping you.**

**I may update this with another songfic along these lines, or maybe I'll leave this alone. Let me know if this was any good, I love reviewers!! Suggestions for songs are welcome!! Right now I'm thinking of basing one on "Cleaning This Gun" by Rodney Atkins. (Lol, can't you see it??) Also, check out my other active fic, ****Cat Fight**** please!!**

**Love yas!!**


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